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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — the animal
  5. last — finally
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cold — not warm
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. drill — army training
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — the tool
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com